Truth is a pathless land. Truth is not something to be found. Truth is already present in you, right here, right now, as the Life that is within you.

~ J. Krishnamurti

I’m not very fashionable. I’ll wear anything that’s reasonably clean, and my ideal outfit definitely includes yoga pants. I don’t wear cosmetics or shave or put any “product” in my hair besides shampoo. I have four pairs of shoes and three of them are flip-flops.

I am, however, verbally fashionable. I notice and analyze language, its cadence and connotation, both spoken and written. I notice pop culture jargon and verbal trends that spread like wildfire across the web. For example: Punctuating. Every. Word. For. Emphasis.

But that started a couple of years ago.

More recently, the youth have started in on “because.” Creating intentional fragments by placing a single word after the conjunction, as in captioning a selfie of you and your boyfriend with “It’s date night, because love.”

Have you noticed the latest fad of announcing that something is amazing and should be read/seen/shared using the simple command: “This.”?

It’s all the rage. I personally have never posted “this.” as my status despite the fact that I read “this”-worthy articles almost every day. I guess it feels too silly, like I’m trying to be a hip millennial rather than an aging member of Generation Y. (Hey, at least I’m not a mommy blogger; no offense.)

However, in pondering “this.” and its new usage. I’ve come to the conclusion that it is a fabulous and succinct mantra for daily life practice.

When you’re about to bite into a peanut butter chocolate chip cookie. This.

When you’re curling up in bed to reread a favorite book. This.

When you’re cradling a sweet, tired little human or fur babe. This.

When you’re steaming with road rage while sitting in traffic. This.

When you’re pushing back into downward dog pose—and maybe feeling tired or tight or achy. This.

In that case, the most important thing is what I’m writing right now. The most important thing is what you’re writing right now. The act of writing, the act of living, the simple, magical act of breathing.

This body contains truth and the essence of goodness. This mind is baffling and beautiful. This life is splendid and sad. This reality is not something to flee or escape by projecting into the future like a bored third grader—what’s next? What about after that?

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About
Michelle Margaret Fajkus

Michelle is a believer in the power of poetry, circles and stories. She has been practicing yoga for many lifetimes. She shares a tiny cabin with her partner, daughter, cat and dog at Lake Atitlán in the Guatemalan highlands where she enjoys writing, reading, playing, teaching, learning, walking in nature and daydreaming.
Michelle has been a columnist for elephant journal since 2010. Her mindful, inspiring essays, articles and poems can also be found on The Tattooed Buddha, Rebelle Society, LeanPub, and her site, Yoga Freedom.

Brilliant article, Michelle! As a boomer myself, I try to keep up with the millennial jargon, and it often perplexes me and seems almost like a cult or something. II'm actually pretty impressed with how words have transformed in today's generation. I will insert "this" into blurbs, but as a stand alone, I can't do it. I've been guilty of "so, there's that", which feels appropriate for certain posts. I also tend to string lots of thoughts together separated by "and", which is just my weird way of word vomit….by the way, loving your last name in your bio! Thanks for a fun piece!